Changed Children
by Thinkingofwriting
Summary: Marlene changed alot after 18 years of life. she grew up faster than any kid her age, but when she meets a enemy who is older than her, and yet, he still acts like a child, will she re-think her life? bad summary, good story
1. prolouge

A/N yay, 3rd fan fiction!! working on the story. so far going well. don't be surprised if this goes on forever. summary sucked.

Prolouge

"Bye Tifa!" Marlene shouted as she left 7th heaven. She threw her bag into the back of Barret's new truck, and opened the door to the shot gun side. She looked back at the place she had called home a lot in her 6 years of life. And now, she was going to see new cities and towns, all with her daddy.

"I'm gonna miss having you as an assistant Marlene," Tifa said as she walked out to say good-bye to the odd pair leaving her home. "You better come back with some exciting stories, ok?"

"Of course Tifa. I already told daddy if we come back towards Midgar that I call a night and day with you in cloud!" Marlene said with a sad smile. She was kinda sad to be leaving Tifa. She was the closest thing she ever had to a mom, and it felt wrong to be leaving her.

"You better!" Tifa said, with a sad look on her face. She looked behind her, into the empty bar and rooms above. "I'm sorry Cloud isn't here to see you off." She said when she looked back at Marlene.

"It's ok, I know he is busy. Besides, he put a special ringtone on his phone for when I use daddy's phone to call him so he knows to pick it up." Marlene said with a fake little smile. Truth be told, she had already tried calling him today, but it went straight to his voicemail.

"Ok, well, you call if you are ever close to Midgar again, and I'll make sure Cloud shows up." Tifa said, giving her little friend a big hug.

"Alright Tifa," Marlene said, "and you make sure that cloud smiles once in a while, cause I won't be able to do it for you now!" Tifa teared up as Marlene said that, not knowing when she would see her little girl again.

"Hey Marlene, ready to go?" Barret asked throwing the last bag in the back.

"Yah daddy," she said, wiping away a few tears, "I'm all set."

"Alright kiddo, let's hit the road!" Barret bellowed, jumping into his seat. Marlene jumped into the truck, and sat in her seat as Barret started the loud engine.

"Bye Tifa!" Marlene shouted out of the window as they drove away, until Tifa was a little speck.

"I know you're sad to leave Tifa hon," Barret said after about 10 minutes of silence on the road, "but we will come back someday. You and I can have a nice break in Midgar with Tifa and cloud one day. Soon hopefully."

"Ok daddy." Marlene said, looking out the window at the passing building. She didn't know when she would be back, but she wanted to be sure she had something to tell Tifa when she got back.


	2. Chapter 1

** 12 year's later**

"Hey, Marlene, are you coming to the party tonight?" Marlene's roommate Sage asked Marlene one Friday night.

"Sorry Sage, I'm heading out to my old home town for the break." Marlene said, throwing her duffel over her shoulder.

"Oh, you're lucky!" Sage said, smacking her friend on the shoulder. "I gotta stay in the dorms. Patrick needs another supervisor for when the freshmen move in, and I was the only sophomore available."

"But I thought you liked Patrick?" Marlene said, looking at her friend.

"I do, but I would rather go on a date with him, then to co supervise with him! What girl wants to supervise a bunch of freshmen?" Sage said really loud. Marlene was wondering if anyone else on their floor heard…..

"Marlene Wallace, please report to the circle drive? You parent or guardian is here." The loudspeakers squealed

"Well, see you after break Sage." Marlene said to her friend, throwing on her jacket and her hat.

"See yah girl!! Bring me back some pictures of that Denzel guy you're always bragging about!" Sage shouted as Marlene left their dorm.

"He's like a big brother, of course I am gonna brag!" Marlene said to her friend before she went down the stairs. She heard her friend cracking up as she left.

"Man, I'm gonna miss her." Marlene thought. Truth be told, Marlene was really needed in Midgar, now that Tifa was pregnant with Cloud's kid, and she needed another set of hands for a while. But, since Marlene was so smart, she had talked with the school, and she could teach herself and get her credits towards her degree. And, it kinda helped that she skipped 3 grades. If she had stayed with her classmates, she would still be in high school. But, she was the youngest junior at Shinra University, and so far, the one who was closest to finishing her degree before senior year even started.

"Hey, Marlene!" Barret shouted from the circle drive. It was kind of hard not to see her dad. A huge guy with a gun for an arm, and now, an addition, white hair. No, it's wasn't cause he was old (he says) it's cause of all of the stuff he exposed himself to at a young age. Or, another theory was that hanging out with Cloud so much, it scared him so much, his hair grayed early.

"Hi dad!" Marlene said, waving to him as she walked. She dropped her duffel bag, and ran up to him, giving him the biggest hug a 18 year old could give.

"Well well, my little girls growing up." Barret replied. He patted her head with his real hand, like he always did, and then bent down, grabbing her duffel and tossing it into the back of the truck.

"How are Cloud and Tifa?" Marlene asked as she jumped into the passenger seat.

"For once, not arguing." Barret said, acting surprised. "I think Cloud is worried that if Tifa gets mad, it will hurt the baby.

"That sounds like him." Marlene said, laughing. "So how have YOU been, Dad?"

"Good, to say the least." Barret replied, patting Marlene's knee. "Retiring might have been smart."

"I'm happy you finally did." Marlene said, buckling up. "I want a certain someone to see me graduate."

"I'll be there." Barret said, assuring his daughter. "Hey, your birthday is coming up soon, right?"

"Yep, turning 19 in 2 weeks." Marlene said, smirking at the thought of being that much older.

"Want anything in particular for a gift?" Barret asked as they left the school's grounds. "I'll go for anything within a budget."

"I think being home is what I want, Dad." Marlene said, smiling at him. "Best gift is being around the ones you love."

"When did you get so wise?" Barret joked. "You're starting to sound like a philosopher."

"Blame the course of philosophy I had to take for a semester." Marlene said, laughing at the memory of the kids fooling around as the professor tried to get them to concentrate.

"I still want to get you something, it's not every day someone turns 19." Barret said, using the same line he used last year.

"Well, give me a couple of days." Marlene said, diverting his attention from the subject. "So, what has AVALANCHE been up to lately?"

"Well, I've got a couple stories to tell." Barret said, a smile lighting his face. "And we got a long ride ahead of us. So, lets see….."

Haha, cliffhanger. Sorry, honestly, it's writer block. I have other fictions to work on!!! I'll update soon!!


End file.
